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Weird but wonderful Wind House brings whimsy to Korea’s Jeju Island

A peculiar home has popped up on Korea’s idyllic Jeju island, and it’s unlike any we’ve seen before. Moon Hoon, a Seoul-based architect who’s never afraid to think outside of the box, recently completed the Wind House, a low-lying structure topped with a large-scale golden sculptural object that bears similarities to a duck head or hairdryer. Despite its alien appearance, the golden protrusion’s shape takes inspiration from the wind-swept landscape, while its golden color alludes to the island’s fall and winter foliage.

Moon Hoon, the same architect behind a Star Wars House and the candy-inspired Lollipop House, was commissioned by an eye doctor with a love of contemporary art and a taste for the eccentric. The client tasked Hoon to design three small houses with the requirements that they be unique and functional. The resulting Wind House comprises a volcanic stone wall that runs the perimeter of the site, two low-lying houses that sit at right angles to one another, and a third house in the middle topped with a inhabitable and sculptural space that Hoon describes as “blossom[ing] like a golden flower.”

The boxy gray-colored homes draw inspiration from traditional Jeju architecture and provide a sharp contrast to the glistening gold crown. Accessible via a spiral staircase, the duck head-shaped space includes a living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Unlike the other interior spaces, which are painted a demure white and kept relatively minimalist, the interior of the “hovering flower” is painted a vibrant shade of red complemented with black furniture and a zebra print floor. A slit window offers views towards Hallasan, the volcano located at the center of the island.

“The sharp difference and contrast between the horizontal houses and hovering houses grounded secularly by high volcanic rock walls bring about a kind of contrasting harmony like that of flowers blossoming among the green leaves,” says the architect. Moon Hoon and Tomeny Kisilewicz also produced an unusual five-minute science fiction film that stars the Wind House as the hero that saves the residents of Jeju from the erupting Hallasan.

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Slideshow

Weird but wonderful Wind House brings whimsy to Korea’s Jeju Island

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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A peculiar home has popped up on Korea’s idyllic Jeju island, and it’s unlike any we’ve seen before. Moon Hoon, a Seoul-based architect who’s never afraid to think outside of the box, recently completed the Wind House, a low-lying structure topped with a large-scale golden sculptural object that bears similarities to a duck head or hairdryer. Despite its alien appearance, the golden protrusion’s shape takes inspiration from the wind-swept landscape, while its golden color alludes to the island’s fall and winter foliage.

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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Moon Hoon, the same architect behind a Star Wars House and the candy-inspired Lollipop House, was commissioned by an eye doctor with a love of contemporary art and a taste for the eccentric.

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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The client tasked Hoon to design three small houses with the requirements that they be unique and functional.

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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The client tasked Hoon to design three small houses with the requirements that they be unique and functional.

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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The boxy gray-colored homes draw inspiration from traditional Jeju architecture and provide a sharp contrast to the glistening gold crown.

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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Accessible via a spiral staircase, the duck head-shaped space includes a living room, kitchen, and bedroom.

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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Accessible via a spiral staircase, the duck head-shaped space includes a living room, kitchen, and bedroom.

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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A slit window offers views towards Hallasan, the volcano located at the center of the island.

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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Wind House by Moon Hoon

Wind House by Moon Hoon

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Wind House by Moon Hoon

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Wind House by Moon Hoon

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A peculiar home has popped up on Korea’s idyllic Jeju island, and it’s unlike any we’ve seen before. Moon Hoon, a Seoul-based architect who’s never afraid to think outside of the box, recently completed the Wind House, a low-lying structure topped with a large-scale golden sculptural object that bears similarities to a duck head or hairdryer. Despite its alien appearance, the golden protrusion’s shape takes inspiration from the wind-swept landscape, while its golden color alludes to the island’s fall and winter foliage.